SEO is Bullshit: The Idiot’s Guide to SEO

So, I'm not here to sell you on SEO. Why? Because SEO is bullshit. Complete and total bullshit. And we're not afraid to say so. Obviously. But why do we say it, and what does it mean to you? More on that in a moment…

We thought about writing “The Idiot's Guide to SEO” as our answer to the infamous “SEO for Dummies,” but then decided against it. Why? In part, because there's not much call for an “Idiot's Guide to SEO” – and because the competition for the term “SEO for Dummies” is far, far, FAR too brutal to even contemplate trying to rank for, much less really go after.

Further, what would be the point of the exercise? It's a question we undertake with each and every online marketing effort. It's a foundational one you need to ask yourself, too, if you're doing search engine optimization and page ranking.

This isn't to say we couldn't actually rank for that term (or just about any other) if we really wanted to. We could. But there's no real upside to it for us – most of that traffic really is looking for that particular book, or reviews thereof – so why bother?

In order for us to make a point, it would have cost us many months (maybe even more than a year) of time and effort, and a fairly big pile o' dough. That's no good at all – a total non-starter. See, we're firmly of the opinion (and long have been) that there's no point in going after a keyword unless, A) it pays you to be there, or, failing that, B) it drives some valuable traffic which helps to build your brand. Oh, and C), you can expect to get there in a reasonable period of time.

We're going to make this article our “Idiot's Guide to SEO” and leave it at that. The thing is, we want to get the word out about what we believe is the ugly truth of search engine optimization (SEO). To wit: It's all bullshit. Total SEO bullshit.

SEO Is For Dummies!

All the SEO firms and gurus trying to sell you one ebook, app, service contract or coaching program after another haven't the balls to tell you straight. They live in the SEO lie, continue to perpetrate the SEO myth, and are happy to sell you multiple SEO pigs in multiple SEO pokes. So we'll say it again: SEO is bullshit!

OK. So I think you've gotten the point. But why and how can we possibly say it? It's heretical! It's antithetical! It's downright unpleasant! Everybody's “doing SEO.” It's what you do to rank your stuff online. Isn't it?

After all, the online world is based on and run by search results. It's the whole basis of what makes it all work. People search for stuff, and you need to be in front of those searches. So you need to rank and be in the game, right?

Well, we're not doubting that. It's just that, for the average businessperson or individual, SEO is, again… complete, utter and total bullshit! Why?

In short, 'cause…

You just can't get there from here!

Not anymore. Not unless you're willing to dedicate some serious time, effort and energy into your SEO efforts – assuming you really know what you're doing. Or, you're willing to pony up to an SEO firm, stick with them, and wait the 3 months, 6 months, 9 months… even a year or more that it takes… to start to see real results.

And why is this? Because every term worth going after is already hyper-competitive!

So there it is… The ugly truth laid bare. The myth broken. The big lie exposed.

NOTE

The only place the above is not necessarily true is for local marketing. In some markets, in some niches, it's still relatively easy to rank organically for good terms. But you'd still better know what you're doing, or work with someone who does. ‘Cause even local is getting tough and it's only going to get tougher as time goes by.

Don't Be An Idiot – SEO is Bullshit!

So where does this leave us, now that we know SEO is bullshit?

Two words: Paid advertising.

There it is. That's it. And that's all it is. The funny thing is, in many ways (maybe even most ways) it should come as a total relief to you. Because as SEO gets harder and harder, paid advertising is actually becoming cheaper and cheaper (if you know how). And in many ways – most ways – far easier too.

Combine paid advertising with social media and virality, and you've got a one-two punch that makes the days, weeks, months and years of struggling with traditional SEO seem archaic, outmoded and old fashioned by comparison – 'cause they are. And guess what? Here's the biggest irony of them all. This “combined arms” approach does more for your SEO – both long and short term – than all the Sisyphean boulder-pushing up the mountain you'd do otherwise.

Put another way…

By NOT doing SEO, you're actually doing better SEO than if you'd specifically tried to do SEO!

How about that?

The other reason we decided against “The Idiot's Guide to SEO” was because we're increasingly of the opinion that only an idiot would attempt traditional SEO methods these days. Sorry if that hurts. The ugly truth is just that sometimes – ugly.

The Non-Idiot's, Non-Dummies Guide to Non-SEO!

We'll get much more into the whys and whereto-fores of paid advertising, social media and virality in future articles. But let me put it this way to sum up:

What is your time worth?

What is your labor worth?

What are the lost opportunity costs associated with putting all of your time and effort into organic search results that usually take months… even many months… sometimes even years to come to fruition? You're either doing it yourself (again, what does that really cost?) or you're paying somebody else.

Either way, it's out of pocket, with no return on investment for a very long, long time – if ever!

Does that sound like the smart move? Forgive my presumption, but we think the answer is an emphatic “NO!” Frankly, given the circumstances and the way Google forever moves the goal posts and changes the SEO game (a subject worthy of it's own article or articles), “doing SEO” seems like the absolutely insane and wrong way to go about getting business online.

Not only can Google pull the legs out from under your SEO efforts long before you ever get where you want to go, it can do so after you've achieved your goals and are happily enjoying all that organic traffic. And lest you think we're making all this up, familiarize yourself with the chaos of recent years caused by Google search engine ranking algorithm updates.

The above is why we say SEO is bullshit. It's why we believe traditional SEO is now, for most, the equivalent of a scam. It's why, in short, SEO is a complete and total waste of your time and money, unless you're really serious about it, you're willing to make the investment(s), and you're willing to wait.

The question is: Are you?

And if you're not, what are you going to do about it?

We're here to help you formulate a solid social media/SEO strategy, driven initially by paid traffic and fueled on viralty. Things can happen fast when you do it this way. We can point you in the right direction, or guide you the entire way. Whatever you need, and whatever is best for you. Bear in mind we offer a FREE CONSULTATION, so don't be afraid to contact us for more info.

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